Shock Springboks call-up ‘only at the beginning’ as Stormers coach issues blunt verdict on Rassie’s new prop
New Springboks tighthead prop Zachary Porthen (inset) and Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani.
Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani is backing Zachary Porthen to give a good account of himself for the Springboks during their upcoming tour to Europe.
Porthen was the shock inclusion in Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus’ 36-man squad for their five eagerly anticipated Tests.
A hard-working tighthead prop, Porthen has only played a handful of matches for the Stormers since making his debut for them towards the latter part of the 2024/25 United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign.
Only uncapped player in Springboks squad
His rugby career has come on in leaps and bounds over the past 12 months and after captaining the South Africa U20 side last year, Porthen is the only uncapped player in Erasmus’ squad.
The Boks will kick off their tour against Japan at Wembley Stadium in London on November 1 before facing France at Stade de France in Paris (November 8), Italy at the Allianz Stadium, Turin (November 15), Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin (November 22) and Wales at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff (November 29).
At the age of 21, Porthen still has his whole career ahead of him as tighthead props usually hit their peak in their late 20s or early 30s, but Hlungwani has worked closely with him in recent months and has been impressed by what he has seen of the player.
Porthen was called up to the Stormers side after the men from the Cape lost the services op experienced Springboks duo Frans Malherbe and Neethling Fouche to injuries.
Despite his inexperience at URC level, Porthen has caught the eye with some strong scrummaging performances for the Stormers and his contributions have played their part in helping John Dobson’s troops to make an excellent start to the 2025/26 URC campaign.
The Stormers are currently on tour in Italy where they will take on Benetton in Treviso on Saturday and Hlungwani expects Porthern to continue with his excellent form this weekend before making the step up to the Springboks set-up.
Springboks: Handre Pollard and his wife have special reason to celebrate ahead of upcoming tour
Hlungwani revealed that Porthen’s outstanding scrummaging abilities were honed against the likes of retired Springboks star Steven Kitshoff and veteran front-rower Ali Vermaak, who have been amongst the URC’s leading loosehead props in recent years.
‘Not a big surprise for us that he’s been called up’
“I always talk about your Tuesday scrum sessions — it’s not a big surprise for us that he’s been called up,” Hlungwani told reporters.
“You get Zach scrumming on a Tuesday against some of the best looseheads around the world. He’s scrummed against Kitsie already, and one of the best attacking looseheads in the world in Ali Vermaak.
“He’s been training in the fire for almost two years, and it’s quite nice to see him developing into the player he’s become. Now he’s getting recognition from the Springboks.”
Despite being in his early 20s, Hlungwani is impressed with Porthen’s work ethic and predicts a bright future for the young Springbok.
“We haven’t seen the best of him yet. He still has a lot to learn — to make a few mistakes, pick up that experience and improve,” said Hlungwani.
“We’re still going to see a lot of him. He’s still a young guy, but he’s put his hand up with how he runs around the field — he’s got a high work rate and great soft skills.
“He’s improved his scrumming a lot, working against experienced players at training. He’s someone who learns quickly, and we’re quite excited because we know he’s only at the beginning of what he can be.”